Rotary engine.



F. CRAFT'. ROTARY ENGmE.

1,273.743. APPLICATION FILED NOV. I?. 19H. 23, j 6 3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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F. CRAFT.

ROTARY ENGINE.

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Patented July 23, 1918.

F. CRAFT.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 1r, 1911.

Patented July 23, 1918'.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

FRANK CRAFT, oF CLINTON, INDIANA, AssIGNon To D. J. CRAFT, oF sCoTTLAND,

' ILLINOIS.: v f

BOTANY ENGINE.

Sliecication of Letters liatent. i Patented Illy 23, 1791.8.

Application led November 17,1917". Seria'1'No.202,597.

T 0 all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK CRAFT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clinton, in the county of Vermilion and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification. A

This invention vrelates to rotary engines and will be described with reference'to the adaption thereof as a steam engine although it will be apparent as the description proceeds that any agent under pressure'such as air, gas or steam may be used for the purpose of'operating the engine. The engine is also adapted for use as anair compressor.

One of the chief vobjects of the invention is to produce in connection with a novel form of steam box orl casing, a rotor carrying a plurality of oscillatory abutments of novel construction and arrangement whereby maximum eiiiciency is obtained and leakage prevented. f 4

Another object of the invention is toprovide large and commodious inlet and exhaust ports which willv insure free exhaust and a maximum power efficiency.

A further object ofthe invention is to providel a combined inlet Vand exhaust and reversing` valve, controlled by a single 0perating ever, the valve being so arranged thatit may be positioned to cut off the admission of steam and at the Isame time eliminate the danger of high compression and release Aany waterthat may have been vadmitted from the boiler.' f

IVith the above and. other objects in v1ew,mr the 'Invention conslsts 1n the novel construction, combination and arrangement and claimed.A y A y p l In the accompanying drawings :w

of parts, herein fully described, illustrated Figure 1 is a vertical lcentral section` through an engine embodying the present invention, Y p

Fig.'2 isfa vertical longitudinal section taken o'n a-lineparallel to and at one side ofthe line'on'which Fig.'1 is taken.

Fig. Bis, 'Y view' lookingtoward theouter periphery ofthefrotor.

Fig. 4. s -a vertical section onthe'line'4-i4 `.ofFigfl showing one o'f'the elongated. in-

ylet and exhaust ports.

Fig. 5 is a central vertical section on the line 5 5 0f Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a 'detail perspective view.of=onef of the oscillatory abutments.

In the embodiment of'my invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, 1 des- Ignates a box-hke caslng lnclos'ing a steam chamber 2 and having supporting eXtensions 3 to provide for mounting the engine on a base (not shown).` a Y Within the casing 2, there is a substantially cylindricalwall 4 contained within the'steam chamber 2 and formed at diametrically'oppo'site sides. with circumferential'ly elongated ports 5 and 6. Y preferably formed or cast lintegrally with v.the casing 1. Extending through the oppositely 'located heads of the rotor chamber isthe engine shaft 9 which is eccentric'to the inner surface of 'the wall 4. Fast on. lthe'shaft 9. is a'i'otor 10 of cylindricalv formation, the arrangement described, 'leaving a crescent shaped expansion chamber 11 between the periphery of the rotor vand the bottom vp'ortionof-:the cylindrical, wall 4 hereinabove referred'to.

The rotor 10 is formed with a plurality of arcuate guide ways 12 and recesses 13 intersecting the guide ways 12, 'said recesses 13 beingyd'esigned toreceive and admit of vthe inwad-fandoutward movements of the Vfore the -relatively wide abutment 15 projects from opposite sides of the arm14 as.; clearly shown in the drawings. The outer edge of each arm 14and abutment 15 is described. on the arc of a; circle of whichV the axis of the shaft`9 is the center and when each abut-ment is at the inner .limit of itsy movement, `thesaid outer edges Vliei'lush with the periphery of the rotor. Each abut-h ment15 is connected `by-a pivot 16 tothe rotor.

18l communicates with theltop ,or side wall ,of the valve.chestandlvthe exhaust19V is lol cated at on'eend of the-valvechest-vvl1ich.is :1 lpreferably of cylindrical-formation. Mount- -A valve `,chest '175 mounted upon the, steam box or casing 1 andembodies an inlet 18, and` anoutlet ,or-exhaust. 19. Theinlet ed adjustablyin the valvechestlfis asli'de valve 20 of piston-like formation havingfat Iio theV opposite endsf thereoff cylindrical valveV i faces 21 and 22 andV provided-between said The valve is iixedly connected to a `stem 25 which works in a head 27 at one end of the"A valve chamber 17. The valve stem`25 is connected at its outer end by means of a link 28*- to a thumb latch lever 29 connected pivotally at 30 to a support 31 jshown as secured to the casing 1, 32 representing a rack with which the latch 33 of the lever 29 engages. The rack 32 is formed with three notches 34 so that the lever 29 may be set in any one of three positions, the centralposition representing the position of the valve -30 when the steam is cut o, and the other two positions representing the positions 'of the valve for .driving the engine in opposite-directions. The central position of the valve 20 is such that no steamis admitted to the engine but the 'exhaust ports vare slightly open' thereby eliminating danger of high compression and also releasing -any water that may collect or be pulled over from the boiler. Thel valve chest 17 communicates with the steainchamber 2 by means of two combined inlet and exhaust ports 35 and 36. In the inner wall of the valve chest there are formed annular steam grooves or passages 37, 38 and 39. The position of the valve for running the engine in one direction is clearly shown in Fig. 1. The steam enters at 18, passes along the groove 38 through the port 23 and the port 36 into the steam chamber 2. It then acts on the rotor abutments, 'driving the rotor in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. The steam then passes out through the port 6 which then acts as an exhaust port, and on through the port 35 and out of the final' exhaust port 19. When the valve 20 is shifted to the other limit of its movement, the movement of the steam is in the reverse direction with-regard to the rotor and casing and after passing out through the port 32, the steam passes through Vthe exhaust port 24 of the valve and outwardly through the final exhaust 19. When the valve 20 is in its intermediate position, it cuts 'ol the admission of steam and leaves the exhaust ports 35 and 36 slightly open for the purpose above stated.

Each of the abutments 15 will be provided in the opposite side edges thereof with'packing strips 40 and will also be provided in the outer edge thereof with another packing strip 41 and in the face thereof with one 'or more ypacking strips 42. The packing strips just referred to are of course intended to reduce to a minimum the liability of leak- 'age of steam between the contacting faces of the abutments-and the rotor and ca sii'ig.Y

I claim K 1. In a rotary engine, the combination of a casing inclosing a chamber adapted to receive an expansive agent, a cylindrical wall within said casing formed with diametrically opposite circumferentially elongated ports, a shaft having an eccentric mounting within said cylindrical wall, a rotor fast on said shaft with its periphery eccentric to the inside of said cylindrical wall, said rotor being formed with arcuate guide ways and -recesses intersecting the same, a plurality of abutments of arcuate formation movable finto and out of said guideways, arms extending from said abutments and pivotally mounted in said recesses, and a valve controlling the admission to andexhaust from the chamber between saidcylindrical wall and outer casing.

. '2. In a rotary engine, the combination of a casing inclosing-a chamber adapted to receive `an expansive agent, a cylindrical wall within said casing formed with diametrically. opposite circumferentially elongated ports, ashaft having aneccentric mounting within said cylindrical wall, a rotor fast on saidshfaft with its periphery eccentric to the inside .of said cylindrical wall, said rotor being formed with arcuate guide ways and recesses intersecting the same, a plurality of abutments of arcuate formation movable into and out of said .guide ways, -arms extending from said abutments and pivotally ymounted in said recesses, and aA valve controlling the admission to and exhaust f-rom the chamber between said 'cylindrical wall and outer casing, said valve having an axial exhaustport extending therethrough, adapting the valve to control both the intake and exhaust. Y 3. In a rotary engine, the combination of casing inclosinga chamber adapted to receive an expansive agent, a cylindrical wall within said casing formed with diametricallyopposite circumferentially elongated ports, 'a shaft having an eccentric mounting within said cylindrical wall, a rotor fast 0n said shaft with its periphery'eccentric to the inside of said cylindrical wall, said rotor being formed with-,arcuate guide ways and recesses intersecting-the same, a plurality of abutments of arcuate formation movable into and out of said guide ways, arms extending -from said abutments and pivotally mountedin said recesses, and a valve ,con-

trolling the-admission `to and exhaust from the chamber between said cylindrical wall and outer casing, each of said abutments having packing strips in the side and outerI Q'Qpies cfilcliis lpatent yinlay-lie' btaine for five' eentsgeach', by, addressing the Commisscner of Patents,

M. L Waxhi'ngtomnc. 

